George Mason University Renames Law School Due to Awkward Scalia Acronym

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George Mason University touted a plan last week to rename its law school after the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia — but the new moniker was quickly scrubbed after its acronym became the butt of jokes on social media.

An official name change ceremony isn't expected until the fall, after Virginia's higher education oversight agency agrees to the renaming.

The original proposal was first announced last Thursday when George Mason received a $30 million donation that included the request to rename its law school, known for its conservative legal teachings, after Scalia, a stalwart conservative jurist.

The honor was also met with some criticism from legal pundits who saw Scalia's legacy as polarizing because of his controversial remarks while on the Supreme Court.

But law school Dean Henry Butler co-wrote in The Washington Post this week that Scalia is an appropriate namesake because both he and the school share a "maverick streak."

"It is a fitting honor that his name will now grace the George Mason School of Law," Butler wrote, "memorializing the Justice’s legacy at an institution committed to rigorous legal inquiry."

Scalia was a guest lecturer at the school before his death in February and spoke at the dedication of the law school building in 1999.

The latest donation is the largest in the school's history, and was provided mostly by an anonymous donor who gave $20 million. The other $10 million was provided by billionaire conservative activist Charles Koch.

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